THOUSANDS of pregnant women and new mothers suffering from mental health problems in Northern Ireland are at risk of receiving inadequate support, a leading charity has warned.
More than 330 midwives and health visitors were interviewed as part of a study which examined gaps in 'perinatal' services for women who had developed depression, anxiety and other conditions linked to their pregnancy and in the year after birth.
One in ten women will be affected - equating to 2,400 live births each year in the north.
Health professionals surveyed stressed that continuity of care and face to face time with mothers and babies is crucial for improving identification of problems and providing support.
But the research found that this was undermined by underfunding, overwork and growing levels and complexity of demand.
Post-traumatic distress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders and postpartum psychosis are the among the serious illnesses women can develop.
If untreated, perinatal mental illnesses can have a devastating impact - with maternal suicide now the leading cause of direct deaths occurring within a year after the end of pregnancy in Ireland and the UK.
The majority of women affected will be managed by their GPs, health visitors and midwives.
The new report, Time For Action, is being published today by NSPCC Northern Ireland and also warns of the barriers many women and their families face when accessing the care they need to recover.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the NHS which has not committed to investment in perinatal mental health, despite £390m having been pledged, according to the report's authors.
Caroline Cunningham, senior policy researcher at NSPCC Northern Ireland and lead author of the report, said: "Our research has identified important issues to be addressed around training, continuity of care, the lack of time that professionals have available to spend with women and families, and identification of perinatal health issues.
"We want new mums, their families and their babies to have the best possible start to parenthood and believe this report identifies important opportunities for ensuring that every contact counts between families and their midwife or health visitor."
The report calls for:
- a training standard on perinatal mental illness for all professionals in Northern Ireland who care for women during this period
- a review of ways of working within midwifery and health visiting services to improve continuity of care and the time that these professionals have to spend with women
- clarification on the use of screening tools, and review of training needs around how midwives and health work with women, including advanced practice skills around disclosure
Karen Murray, director at the Royal College of Midwives in the north, which also took part in the research said: This report adds to the available evidence that there are significant gaps in the provision of specialist perinatal mental health services in Northern Ireland."
